Heel-blank-building machine



I. E. MITCHELL AND D. PARKS.

HEEL BLANK BUILDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MARZG, 1921. 1 4L32,@8@u Patented 0613.17, 1922.,

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[Mlle/050m; Jo/qn EMiic/ueli 19mm; Par/(:. 47 I I PARKS.

HEEL BLANK BUlLDING MACHINE.

. E. MITCHELL AND D APPLICATION FILED MAR.26, 1921.

Patented Oct. 17, 1922.,

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breast-plate 13 and a back-plate 14: which is usually V-shaped in cross-section'. The breast-plate 13 is suitably secured on the inclined frame-members 4C and the back-plate 14: is adjustably mounted by means of a bracket 15 with respect to the breast plate 13 in the same manner as described in our application aforesaid. Mounted on the upper side of the back plate 14: is the raceway 16 for discharging the heel-blanks and returning the separating members to the operator. This race-way comprises, in the preferred embodiment shown, a wooden beam 17which is substantially the length of the log-holder and which has a rounded end 18 projecting beyond the rear end of the log-holder as shown in Figure 1. The beam 17 may be secured on the back-plate 14 by cutting transverseapertures 19 therein at two or more points and then passing bolts 20 upward through apertures in the back-plate l4 and through openings in the beam entering the apertures 19 and screwing the ends of said bolts into nuts 21 inserted laterally in said apertures. As shown by Figures a and 5, the bottom edge of the beam 17 is provided with a V-shaped groove to receive the correspondingly shaped portion of the top of the back-plate 14. The upper edge portion of the beam 17 is provided with a central longitudinally extending groove 22, Figure 1, which extends from the front end of the beam 17 to and around the rear rounded end thereof. Secured on the upper edge of the beam 17 and extending from the front end thereof to and around the rear rounded end 18, are two parallel metal strips 23, Figures 2 and 3, which providebetween their inner opposed edges, a slot 2 1 which extends over but is narrower than the groove 22 in beam 17. This construction provides a bayonet groove for receiving a head 25 provided on the upper side of each of the separating members 26. These separating members are of the general form illustrated in the patent of Dennis Parks, 1,381,735, dated June 14,- 1921, and the special construction of separating member for use in connection with the present invention forms the subject matter of a separate application for patent of Dennis Parks, Ser. No. 455,807. In the operation of the machine, the head 25 on each separating member will be forced into the slot 24: as the log is pushed rearwardly by the insertion of new heel-blanks into the forward end of the log-holder, the entrance of the head in this slot being shown in Figure 4 at the bottom of the figure, and which occurs'at a point just before that at which the strips 23 and slot 24 take a curved path as shown more particularly in Figure 2 at the left hand end of the figure. As each separating member passes into the curved portion of the slot 2 1, the plate 27 or separating element proper, will be turned out of engagement with the heel-blank 28 as the breast of 'the latter is still in engagement with the surface of the breast-plate 13, and in this way the separating member is automatically disengaged from the heel-blank. In the further movement of the separating member and heel-blank, the latter will be discharged from the rear end of the log-holder as shown in Figure 2, while the separating member will continue to pass around the curved end 18 of the raceway. WVhen it passes over this curved portion it then enters upon the downwardly inclined part, or upper side, of the race-way and slides by gravity down the same to the forward end of the race-way. In order'to arrest the movement of the separating members, we

provide the following construction:

The forward end of the beam 17 is recessed vertically and longitudinally as indicated at 29 and 30 respectively, at the right of Figure 2. Numeral 31 indicates a stop plate which is bifurcated in its upper edge portion to provide a slot 32, Figure 5, and is provided on opposite sides of said slot with forwardly projecting fingers 33. On its rear face the plate 31 is provided with a central rectangular rib 3 1 which is slidably mounted in the recess 29 and is apertured from its lower end upward a certain distance to receive a coil spring 35, the lower end of which rests upon the bottom of the recess 29. Plate 31 is further provided towards its upper end with a recess 36 and an aperture 37 leading from said recess and extending through the rib 34 through which recess and aperture extends a rod 38 into the recess 30 where its rear end is pivotally mounted as indicated at 39. Surrounding the forward end of the rod 38 and seated in the recess 36 is a coil spring 40 which is held under tension by a nut 11 screwed on the end of the rod 38. The upper end of the plate 31 projects above the upper side of the race-way 16, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and as indicated at 42, and this projecting portion provides a stop against which the separating members 26 engage when they slide down the race-way 16. The slot 32 in the plate 31 corresponds with the slot 24 of the race-way, and to remove a separating member 26 the operator presses down on fingers 33 to remove the projecting portion 12 below the lower edge of the plate 27 of the separator and the latter can he slid out of the race-way, its head 25 passing through the slot 32 in the stopplate.

Referring particularly to Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6 we will now describe the means for holding under compression the lifts of a fresh heel-blank forced into, or partly into, the log-holder to maintain the heel-blanks ure 2.

of uniform size by preventing the swelling of the lifts due to the presence of the moisture in the paste, and also to prevent one or more of the lifts from falling off or being knocked off of the heel-blank in the portion projecting from the entrance end of the log-holder.

In the operation of the machine of the application previously referred to, it was found that the lifts at the front or project-ing end of the heel-blank would frequently become displaced and would fall off and that due to swelling, there would be some irregularityin the heights of the heel-blanks. This objection we aim to overcome by means of the construction shown particularly in the figures referred to.

Referring to these figures, the numerals &3 indicate two leaf springs which are secured at their rear ends to opposite sides of the bracket 15 as indicated at 4% in Fig These springs extend along and bow out slightly from opposite sides of the breast plate 13 and project beyond the front end of the back plate 14: as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the projecting ends being formed with shoulders 45 to engage behind the heel-blank at the side edges'thereof, as indicated in said Figure 6. The shoulders 45 are provided with heads, the inner sides of which are rounded to diverge outwardly so as to facilitate the entrance of the heelblanks between the springs and at the same time, force the springs apart so that when the heel-blank has passed beyond the shoulders 45, the springs will snap in behind the heel-blank.

From the above description, it will be seen that as the heel-blanks are forced into the log-holder 12 they will be held under compression by frictional engagement with the side walls of the holder and by the engagement of the shoulders of the springs 43 with the opposite edge portion of the last heel-blank inserted. This applies, of course, to the entire column of heel-blanks inserted in the holder and as the latter is tilled with the heel-blanks the said heelblanks will be separated from the separating members 26 as the position of the latter, with reference to the heel-blank, is changed by the separating member taking the curved path at the end of the race-way, as shown at the left in Figure 2, the separating members continuing to pass around the curved end of the race-way until the top of the latter is reached, when they in turn slide down the race-way and are arrested by engagement of the forward separating member with the projecting portion 452 of the plate 31. When the operator presses down on the fingers 33 to lower the plate so that a separating member can be removed from the race-way, the rod 38 will turn on the pivot 39 and the said plate will slide in engagement with the end of the race-way or block 17, this movement being permitted by the yielding of the spring 4:0. T he tension of this spring can be adjusted by means of the nut tl. When pressure is released on lingers 33 the coil spring 35 returns the plate 31 to its normal or projecting position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

We claim:

1. The method of successively separating heel-blanks and separating members therefor temporarily maintained in column formation, which consists in continuously forcing the separating members at the end of the column into a path diverging from that of the heel-blanks, and in the same operation moving the heel-blank adjacent to the separating member to an unsupported position whereby it may fall away from the column by gravity.

2. The method of successively separating heel-blanks and separating members therefor temporarily maintained in column formation, which consists in successively forcing the separating members at the end of the column into a path diverging from that of the heel-blanks while the latter are maintained in a relatively fixed path, and in the same operation moved in order to an unsupported position whereby they may successively fall away from the column by gravity.

3. The method of successively separating heel-blanks and separating members therefor temporarily maintained in column formation, which consists in continuously forcing the separating members and heel-blanks through a log-holder in a relatively straight path, and successively forcing the separating members at the end of the column into a path diverging from that of the straight path and simultaneously causing the heelblank adj acent to the separatingmember to continue in said straight path to an unsupported position whereby it may be discharged from the holder.

4. In the art of heel building, the method which consists in forming a column of heelblanks and interposed separators by successively forcing in alternation a heel-blanl-r and a separator through a zone of frictional resistance, successively forcing the separating members at the end of the column into apath diverging from that of the heel-blanks, whereby to detach each separator from its heel-blank, and successively returning the separators to the region of the initial opera-- 'tion.

5. In the art of heel building, the method which consists in forming a column of heelblanks and interposed separators by successively forcing in alternation a heel-blank and a separator through a Zone of frictional resistance, successively forcing the separating members at the end of the column into a path diverging from that of the heelblanks whereby to detach the separator rators to follow a fixed path terminating in the region of the initial operation.

6. In the art of heel building, the method which consists in forming a column of heelblanks and interposed separators by successively forcing in alternation a heel-blank and a separator: in an upward direction through a zone of frictional resistance, successively forcing the separating members at the end of the column into a path diverging from that of the heel-blanks, whereby to detach each separator from its heel-blank, and causing said separators to follow a fixed path and to be returned by gravity through a portion of said path to the region of the initial operation.

7. In the art of heel building, the method which consists in forming a column of heelblanks and interposed separators by successively forcing in alternation a heel-blank and a separator through a log-holder, discharging the heel-blanks in order from the log-holder at the remote end thereof in each successive movement of the column and separately returning the separators to the region of the initial operation.

8. In the art of hecl building, the method which consists in forming a column of heelblanks and interposed separators by successively forcing in alternation a heel-blank and a separator through a log-holder, sue-- cessively forcing the separators at the end of the holderinto a path diverging from that of the heel-blanks, discharging the heelblanks in order from the holder at such. point of divergence. in each successive movement of the column and returning the separators to the region of the initial operation.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a holder for a series of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, means for forcing successive blanks and separators into the holder at one end thereof, a lateral extension at the remote end of the holder and means for uiding the separators in order over said lateral extension. 1

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a holder for a series of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, means for forcing successive blanks and separators into the holder at one end thereof, a race-way having a curved portion at the remote end of said holder and an inclined portion terminating in the region of the initial operation, and means for guiding the separators over said curved portion to said inclined portion whereby the separators will slide by gravity to the termination of said raceway.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a holder for a series of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, means for forcing successive blanks and separators into the holder at one end thereof, a race-way havinga portion diverging from the remote end of the holder and an inclined portion terminating at the region of the initial operation, a retaining guide extending throughout the length of said race-way and means on each of said'separators for engaging said retaining guide wherebythe separators in order'will move away from said holder to said inclined portion and return by gravity to the terminus of "said'race-way.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an upwardly inclined holder for a series of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, means for forcing the blanks and separators successively into the holder at the lower end thereof, a slotted race-way having a curved portion diverging from the remote end of said holderand an inclined portion: terminating. at the lower end of said holder and a head on each separator for engaging in the slot of said race way whereby the separators will be guided about the curved end of said raceway to said inclined portion and will slide down the latter to its terminus at the lower end of the holder. i

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an upwardly inclined holder for a series'of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, meansfor forcing the blanks and separators successively into the holder at the lower endt-hereof, a race-way having a diverging portion at the remote end of said holder and an inclined portion terminating at the lower end thereof, a guide extending throughout said raceway, means on each separator for engaging said guide whereby the separators will be guided to said inclined portion and slide by gravity down the latter, and a movable stop at the lower end of said raceway for arresting the movement of said separators.

14:. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an upwardly inclined holder fora series of heel-blanks and separators in column formation, means for forcing the blanks and separators successively into the holder at the lower end thereof, a race-way having a diverging portion at the remote end of said holder and an inclined portion terminating at the lower end thereof, a guide extending throughout said raceway, means on each separator for engaging said guide whereby the separators will be guided to said inclined portion and slide by gravity down the latter, and a depressible stop at the lower end of said raceway for arresting the movementof said separators. 15. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a log-holder, a plurality of spring members having outwardly directed shouldered ends projecting beyond 1 ,asaoeo that end of the holder constituting the mouth thereof and positioned in the path of movement of heel-blanks to be forced into said holder, and means for forcing heelblanks between said spring members, to separate the same, and into said holder, whereby as each heel-blank, in order, passes beyond said shouldered ends, the latter Will automatically snap over the heel-blank and hold the same, or the lifts thereof, from 10 backward movement.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN E. MITCHELL. DENNIS PARKS. 

